These Streets
by RainbowAnatomy
Summary: Life is good and the girls are gorgeous, Suddenly the air smells much greener now, And I'm wandering around, With a half pack of cigarettes, Searching for the change that I've lost somehow (Rated T just incase)
1. Thumb

**Song: **These Streets by Paolo Nutini

**A/N: **Plot bunnies are the best. The included lyrics are in _italics _and may be out of order

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, you'd know it.

Chapter 1 - Thumb

_Cross the border, Into the big bad world, Where it takes you about an hour, Just to cross the road, Just to stumble across another poor old soul_

Leslie Knope stood at the edge of a side walk, head buried in her phone as she tried to comprehend the New York City map she had downloaded. The sun glared down against her, making it nearly impossible to see her screen, even on full brightness. She tucked her 'I Heart New York' hat further down on her head, trying to shade her eyes and her screen at the same time. Her bag hung heavy on her shoulder.

"_Ok_," she muttered to herself, "If Central Park is _behind _me, and I want to get to Dallas BBQ's…" She gestured at her surroundings with her thumb as she talked to herself.

"Whoa, _watch _it!" someone shouted behind her, almost directly into her ear. Leslie jumped and whirled around, successfully smacking the visor of her hat into the person. A woman stood there in work out gear, plucking her head phones out of her ear. Her lips were set in a frown.

"Oh my god, I'm so, so sorry!" Leslie stammered, turning red with embarrassment, "I didn't… see you there, I'm sorry."

The woman's frown dissolved into a neutral state, anger draining from her face. "It's fine."

"No, I'm sorry, I could've poked out your eye-"

"Seriously," the woman cut Leslie off, waving her hands, "It's _fine_."

They stood in silence, the woman looking bored and Leslie shifting awkwardly.

"I'm, uh, Leslie Knope," Leslie introduced herself in attempt to break the silence, sticking out her hand. This woman had been the first to talk to her since she got to the city.

"Ann Perkins," Ann returned the introduction, eyeing Leslie's hand for a moment before shaking it gingerly.

"Are you from around here?"

"Mmhm… You?"

"Ah, no. I've only been here for a week. Going back home tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh? Where are you from?"

"Pawnee."

"Where?"

"Pawnee. Indiana?"

"Never heard of it."

"Yeah, well, it's the greatest place in the world," Leslie felt herself say before she could stop herself. Ann pursed her lips. Leslie waited with baited breath until Ann let out a chuckle.

"I'm sure it is. Why are you visiting?"

"Bad break up." Was it just her, or did Ann's eyes light up?

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"It was, uh, probably for the better." More silence. "Hey, do you know how I can get to the nearest Dallas BBQ's from here? Everything is so confusing, and there are _way _too many streets…"

"I can take you there, actually," Ann said, voice unsure. Leslie widened her eyes, waiting for her _stranger danger _senses to kick in. None did.

"Really? Really, you would do that?"

"If you don't mind stopping by my apartment with me first."

"Wow! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it." Ann smiled warmly at Leslie, before focusing on the street. A taxi cab was making its way steadily down the street. Ann stuck her hand out, yelling. "Taxi!" loudly. By the way people turned and raised their eyebrows, Leslie figured that that wasn't what New Yorkers did. She laughed anyway and Ann beamed.

"After you," Ann said when the taxi had pulled up to the curb.

"Thanks," Leslie returned, slipping inside. Ann settled down next to her and told the cap driver her street name. "You know, I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be rude."

"Oh, _please,_" Ann laughed, and Leslie laughed right along with her, "That's only true for some people."

_ From the dreary old lanes to the high-street madness, I fight with my brain to believe my eyes, And it's harder than you think, To delay this sadness, That creeps up my spine, And haunts me through the night_


	2. Apartment 8F

**Song: **These Streets by Paolo Nutini

**A/N: **Plot bunnies are the best. The included lyrics are in _italics _and may be out of order

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, you'd know it.

Chapter Two - Apartment 8F

_Life is good and the girls are gorgeous, Suddenly the air smells much greener now, And I'm wandering around, With a half pack of cigarettes, Searching for the change that I've lost somehow_

"You know, I've never taken a stranger home before the first date," Ann jokes as they climb the stairs of her apartment building.

"Next time, I'll buy you a drink," Leslie goes right along with the joke. She pauses at the beginning of the seventh flight of stairs, finally feeling her fried dough protest in her stomach. "Remind me again why we didn't take your elevator?"

"Because it's out of order." Ann paused in the middle of the stairs.

"Right, but is it _really _out of order?" Ann laughed.

"Come on. My apartment's on the upcoming floor."

Leslie sighed against the railing, bag thumping against the wall, as Ann continued up the stairs. She found herself smiling before she pinched her skin and chastised herself for the thoughts that begged to be thought.

"Leslie?" Ann called at the top of the stairs.

"Right behind you, Ann," Leslie called back, forcing herself to ignore the food in her stomach.

They stood outside apartment 8F a minute later, Ann fumbling with her keys and Leslie trying not to laugh at the situation. She was glad to have made a friend before the end of her trip to forget her ex. Or at least an acquaintance. _No_, Leslie thought, _an acquaintance wouldn't've invited anybody to their house when they first met. _

"All right," Ann murmured, sticking her shoulder against the door, hand on the doorknob, "Here we are." She pushed open the door and stepped inside, Leslie following cautiously.

"_Oh_!" Leslie breathed, taking in the space.

"It's not much, but… It's home." Ann studied Leslie's wide eyes carefully, "You probably have a bigger house in, uh, Pawnee."

"I have a house, yes, not an apartment, but _wow_!" Leslie watched as Ann reached down to untie her running shoes and slip them off and took off her flats as well, walking slowly into the living room in front of her. "There's so much space?"

"Compared to your house?" Ann cocked her head. Leslie laughed.

"I'm a horder."

"Ah." Ann smiled, then put her phone on the front table. "Well, I'll change and then we can go to BBQ's."

"Sounds great! Thank you, so much, Ann. I'm glad I'm not alone in the city anymore." Leslie put some emphasis on the last sentence to gage Ann's reaction. Ann just smiled and nodded.

"I know what it's like to be alone in the city. Hate to see it for anyone," she hovered in a doorway that Leslie assumed lead to her door. "Though you _might _want to take off the tourist-y hat."

"_Oh!_" Leslie plucked the hat off her head, sending her hair into a dance. Ann just kept smiling as she ducked inside the room and closed the door.

Leslie stood in the center of the small apartment, studying the color of the walls, a midnight blue, and the pictures on the wall, one of her and another woman, covered in paint and smiling at each other. She ran her fingers over the fabric of the couch, cloth, and the coffee table, the wood which she was sure her boss would know the name of and scoff at. She liked it.

The sound of a shower running filled the apartment faintly, accompanied by soft singing, words indistinguishable. Leslie smiled to herself. She thought she knew the tune.

_These streets have too many names for me, I'm used to Glenfield road and spending my time down in Orchy, I'll get used to this eventually, I know, I know_


	3. Dallas BBQ's

**Song: **These Streets by Paolo Nutini

**A/N: **Plot bunnies are the best. The included lyrics are in _italics _and may be out of order

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, you'd know it.

Chapter 3 - Dallas BBQ's

_Where'd the days go? When all we did was play, And the stress that we were under wasn't stress at all, Just a run and a jump into a harmless fall from, Walking by a high-rise to a landmark square_

Ann found Leslie standing in front of the set of pictures on her walls. She turned as she heard the door open. Ann stood in the doorway in different, less sweaty clothes, drying her hair on a green towel.

"Who's that?" Leslie asked, gesturing to the picture where Ann and another woman were covered in paint.

"My girlfriend, Jordan," Ann answered, swearing she saw a bolt of sadness in Leslie's bright blue eyes, "From a paint ball competition the younger people in my family have occasionally. They told me to bring her this year."

"Paint ball?"

"Yeah. You do it?"

"No, but I'm a _very _good bowler."

"Bowling's not really my style."

"Oh, really? Everybody loves bowling."

"It's not that I don't like it, I'm just not very good at it."

"I could teach you a couple tricks some time," Leslie offered. Ann paused her work on her hair and smiled, nodding.

"All right. I'd like that." She folded her towel and draped it over the arm of her couch. "You ready to go?"

"Yes!"

Ann couldn't quite explain why, but she knew she had smiled more in this hour than she had in the passed two weeks.

(Later…)

When they were settled at a table for two, Leslie took a sip of her water, taking in the interior. It was very different from JJ's Diner. But maybe they had wiped cream anyway?

"So, Leslie," Ann started across from her, prodding her out of her thoughts, "You know about BBQ's how?"

"While I was making myself an itinerary, I looked up the best restaurants, dinners, and delis in New York. Found this place."

"Itinerary?"

"Yes." Leslie finally reached for the wide bag she had been carrying all day, pulling out an inch thick binder with multiple colorful tabs sticking out.

"_Itinerary,_" Ann repeated, surprised, more to herself than to Leslie. She ruffled through the pages, sticking her thumb under the orange tab and opening to a page that read _Best Restaurants, Dinners, and Delis in New York. _

"See, right there." Leslie pointed to Dallas BBQ's on the next page.

"Do you do this often?"

"Do what?" She marveled at her work for a moment before slipping it back into her bag.

"Make itineraries?"

"All the time. For me and for other people. I'm very organized."

"Color me impressed." Ann leaned back in her seat, picking up her menu. Leslie mirrored her, not sure if she had been too much herself. "How much food can you eat, Leslie?"

"Uh… a lot, I guess. What do you suggest?" she asked, wanting to keep conversation going.

"Don't worry," Ann reassured her as a waitress approached, "I've got this."

"Are you ladies ready to order?" the waitress, name tag reading _Emily_, asked.

"_Yes_, we are," Ann replied, lowering her menu, "We'll take the vegetable tempura, half an order of…," she studied Leslie for a moment, "Sticky wings, baked beans, and the Baby back ribs. And, if it isn't too much trouble, can that be brought out all at the same time? Thanks. Oh! And two piña coladas please."

The waitress kept up with Ann's words, pen scratching at the paper, "And would you like the ribs with french fries or a baked potato?"

"French fries. Two pieces of cornbread with it, though, thank you."

"Drinks first or with the meal?"

"First, thank you."

"All right. Coming up." The waitress closed her pad, collected the two menus, and smiled at them before sauntering away, dodging large trays of delicious looking food.

"She was kinda cute," Ann ventured, not meeting Leslie's gaze. Leslie just 'mm'ed in confirmation. Ann felt her cheeks start to get warm and she fixated on her glass of water.

Her eyes were trained curiously on Ann.

"What?" Ann asked, suddenly pink with self consciousness, "Too much?"

"No, it's perfect. Why sticky wings and not hot wings?"

"You look like you prefer sweet things."

"Wow." Leslie leaned her elbow against the table and took another sip of water. "You already know me."

_You see millions of people with millions of cares, And I struggle to the train to make my way home, I look at the people as they sit there alone_


	4. Room 528

**Song: **These Streets by Paolo Nutini

**A/N: **Plot bunnies are the best. The included lyrics are in _italics _and may be out of order

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, you'd know it.

Chapter 4 - Room 528

_Life is good, and the sun is shining. Everybody floods to their ideal place. And the children all smile as the boats shuffle by them, Trying to pretend that they've got some space_

"Oh man, I don't remember ever being this full," Leslie groaned happily once she and Ann had reemerged into society, burping quietly into her fist, "Oh wait, yes I do. JJ's Diner two months ago. One too many waffles…"

Ann laughed, "JJ's Diner?"

"Only _the _best diner on the face of the earth. I'm telling you, Ann, if you ever visit Pawnee, I am taking you there."

"I look forward to that day." They smiled at each other in the sun that had only grown harsher as the hours slipped away. "Uh, what's next on your itinerary?"

"Huh?" Leslie had been fixed on the glitter in Ann's eye. "Oh. Uh. I don't know. I don't really wanna check."

"Well, then. We can go to the nearest bowling ally. You can teach me a few tricks, like you said."

"Really?" Ann nodded confirmation, intrigued at how _blue _Leslie's eyes were. "Can we take the subway so I can feel like a real New Yorker?" Ann nodded again, a little dazed. Leslie laughed and Ann joined in.

(Later…)

"When you said you weren't good, I hadn't expected you to be that _bad_!" Leslie giggled, trying to get her room key into the slot outside room 528.

"Oh, shut up," Ann fired back, giggling as well. Maybe they had had one too many refills of beer at the rink. _Oh well, _Ann thought, _I haven't had that much fun in a while. _Finally Leslie got the door to open and she pushed her way inside.

"Do you wanna come in?" she asked, running a hand through her still pristine hair. Ann nodded, following her into the hotel room. It was a single bed, and the suitcase on the chair was open, revealing neatly folded clothes. Leslie dropped her bag on the carpeted floor and flopped backwards on the bed. Ann laughed softly and followed suit, letting her feet slip out of her wedges and dropping her small purse on the floor next to Leslie's bag.

They sat in silence for a while, laughing coming on at random intervals.

"Ann?" Leslie asked, staring at the ceiling. Ann turned her head to look at her.

"Leslie?" she asked back.

"Thank you. Today was really great. I think I feel much better now."

"Aw, it _was _great! And I'm glad you're feeling better."

Leslie turned her head and met Ann's gaze. The sun had finally relented its vicious gleam and was slowly sinking in the sky, painting the pale yellow walls a pale pink.

Ann felt her head swim with the beer. Her phone beeped in her purse, signaling a text message. She ignored it.

Leslie shifted closer, temples throbbing, coherent, smart thoughts compromised. Ann's phone beeped again.

"Don't you wanna get that?" she asked Ann, breath still sweet in Ann's nose, despite the alcohol. Ann shook her head.

"Naw, it's probably just Jordan. Besides. Don't wanna ruin our bonding day."

"Oh."

Leslie's lips were now less than an inch away and Ann couldn't help wondering what they tasted like.

She didn't have to wait long to find out. She responded immediately to Leslie's kiss, molding their lips together as the sun sank further behind the sky scraper'ed city. Her heart drummed, from the kiss and the alcohol levels in her bloodstream.

Leslie's head reeled as she shifted her entirety against Ann's, their knees touching and hands starting to slip along waists.

Ann's ringtone started to play and she pulled back from the kiss.

"Whoa," Leslie sighed, a puff of beer infused air billowing out of her mouth. Ann's cheeks were red.

"I should go," she whispered.

Leslie nodded, slurring, "Jordan" in a sad tone.

"Jordan," Ann repeated, forcing herself to her feet, "I'll let myself out."

"Ok." Leslie watched from her sideways view on the world as Ann put her shoes back on and picked up her purse from the floor. "Wait." Leslie sat up and leaned down, rummaging through her bag and pulling out a business card. She handed it to Ann. "Call me sometime, ok? Just friends is fine. I had a really great time."

"Me, too," Ann sighed, stepping over to the door, "Safe flight to Pawnee, Leslie."

The door clicked closed behind Ann before Leslie was ready to see her go.

_These streets have too many names for me, I'm used to Glenfield road and spending my time down in Orchy. I'll get used to this eventually, I know, I know_


	5. Warsaw Company

**Song: **These Streets by Paolo Nutini

**A/N: **Plot bunnies are the best. The included lyrics are in _italics _and may be out of order. **Final chapter**.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, you'd know it.

Chapter 5 - Warsaw Company

_Life is good and the girls are gorgeous, Suddenly the air smells much greener now, And I'm wandering around, With a half pack of cigarettes, Searching for the change that I've lost somehow_

Leslie settled herself deeper into her chair, breathing a proud sigh of relief. She had just beat her personal record on JJ's Diner's waffles eaten in one sitting. It was late and she had eaten dinner in her office.

Her boss stopped by her open door, knocking.

"Oh, hey, Ron," she said, smiling, "What can I do for you?"

"Go home," Ron told her, "You've been here for almost two days now. You need to go sleep."

"Sleep?" Leslie picked up her cup of coffee. "What's sleep?"

"Leslie." Ron forced her hand down, cup thumping onto her desk. "Go home."

"Fine." Leslie stood. "Ok. Ok, I'm going."

She left without further argument. The hallways of the government building were relatively empty, except for janitors and a couple of other employees. Leslie said goodbye to each of them by name.

She took her time driving home, planning her night in her head.

She was just listing her fourth series she had to catch up on when she passed a Warsaw moving van next to the infamous pit fenced off near the center of the city.

Pausing at a stop sign, she watched a couple of men drop boxes outside a house, and memorized the address.

She would bring a welcome basket first thing tomorrow morning.

She yawned again and someone honked their horn in the car behind her. She jolted alert and continued driving.

The next morning, just as she had told herself, Leslie rang the doorbell of the new citizen of Pawnee's house. She held a wide welcome basket in her hand as she rocked on her feet. A minute ticked by and no one had come to the door. She rang the doorbell again. This time a muffled shout made its way through the door. Leslie bounced excitedly as she stared at the ground.

Seconds later, the door swung open.

"Welcome to Pawnee!" Leslie greeted, looking up and taking in a woman with disheveled bed hair, squinting in the morning sun.

"Wow, I didn't expect a wel-," the woman cut herself off, "_Leslie?_"

"_Ann?_" Leslie breathed, feeling the basket slipping out from between her fingers. Ann shook herself out of her thoughts and lunged for the wicker basket, clasping their hands together.

"Hey," she breathed.

"The basket," Leslie stammered, "It's for you." She transferred the full weight of it to Ann.

"Thanks." Ann dropped it behind her in her house.

"Ann Perkins… It's been, what, two years?"

"Three."

"_Three._"

They stared at each other, somewhere between happy and unsure.

"Um. How have you been?" Leslie asked, staring into Ann's hazel eyes.

"I've been all right…"

"How is, uh, Jordan?"

"We broke up."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm ok."

More silence.

"I should, um, probably get to work," Leslie murmured, finally tearing her gaze away, "We should catch up, though, soon."

"We should…," Ann agreed, "Or, you know. You could come inside now. We can pick up where we left off."

Leslie's eyes flashed and Ann flushed.

"I'd like that."

"All right, then. Come in." Ann stepped out of the way and let Leslie in first.

"Maybe later I can take you to JJ's," Leslie said, as Ann locked the door behind her.

"I'd like that." Ann reached out her hand and their fingers laced together. Leslie tugged Ann lightly over to her, closing the gap between them, their lips touching, soft murmurs of appreciation immediately provoked.

"Ann," Leslie whispered, pulling apart.

"Yes, Leslie?" Ann whispered back, already starting to unbutton Leslie's suit.

"Welcome to Pawnee. I can't wait to show you these streets."

_These streets have too many names for me, I'm used to Glenfield road and spending my time down in Orchy, I'll get used to this eventually, I know, I know, I... know, I know_

**A/N: **well, that's all, folks! Hope you enjoyed, my lovelies!


End file.
